Spooks

A normal stereotypical British black man to us would be a thug who does drugs and wears baggy clothing. We would think they were argumentative, against the law and ‘gobby; which are all very negative words. Although in the short clip I watched of ‘Spooks’ shows quite the opposite of a British Black man, this character is called Danny.

Danny is a young man who is about in his 20’s who is well-spoken, intelligent, selfless and brave. In the clip these things are all shown clearly to the watcher. The terrorist is the villain in this clip - and Danny being the hero, he is more, I think, the typical stereotype of a British black man. The terrorist is very violent to towards both Danny and the women who are tied up; he is also holding a gun towards them. This shows that the terrorist is the aggressive and brutal one, unlike Danny, as he is being more like a ‘typical’ white person. This I think shows a good difference and a message to people, that not all people are what we think of them to be.

The music adds to the depressing, dismal feel because it emphasises the atmosphere. The music is also haunting and disturbing; there are elements of Arabic music reaching though, which could be linked to the terrorist and that he is from an Arabic country. Yet the sound is twisted to a more threatening sound which is quite chilling. There is also a screeching sound of a whale that creeps though which could show that there is danger, as it is what whales do when they fear something. In the background there is a constant drumming sound that gets louder, this is to create tension throughout the clip and keep the viewer on edge.

The camera work throughout this section is looking from a downwards angle, upwards. This is used regularly when we are shown the terrorist which could emphasises the fact that he is the ‘bad guy’ or villain and so he is looking down on us; as he is threatening to us. There is also a lot of close up to the characters faces to show their reactions and facial expressions, for example the tears on Danny’s face. Yet the camera only frequently shows onto the terrorists face, although it is very shaded; this could resemble his darkness and coldness. There is also a quick shot of the terrorists but the shadows of the window are forming faint bars across the image, which could imply he is the criminal or could be something to do with a prison.

Tim Bevan

- Tim was born in New Zealand and is well known for being a producer and co-producer in various films.
- Some of his most popular films include Wild Child, The Soloist, The Tudors, Nanny Mcphee, Pride and Pedjudice, Sean of the Dead and many more.
- he co-founded Working Title Productions with Sarah Radclyfee
-

The Soloist Marketing

With the film's release date being pushed back from November, but not being released till April the next year it did not give the film a good start in the film industry. When it was finally released it was pronounced dead at the arrival of the box office because it was failing to hold its own against various commercial offerings.
Articles explain that people leave the cinema disappointed with the film. This, they think was because it is so serious and normal that there was no 'magic' or anything special about it. Although the script writer wanted to keep everything the straight story and thought it improper to change the story hugely, people think that they could of added more creative latitudes towards the characters.

The Soloist Production Notes

- Dreamworks pictures and Universal pictures in association with Working Film Title, present The Soloist
- Steve Lopez had a lot of people interested and got involved in his articles in the Times newspaper. They would send packages and emails, including cellos and musical instruments to show their support the homeless.
- It became realised that Steve Lopez had in fact produced a story about his friendship, which interested many people and producers, although the producers it was Russ Kransoff and Gary Foster, (who were business partners) that gained Lopez's trust.
- after securing a deal with Lopez, foster brought dreamworks on board, who then introduces Susannah Grant, who is a Oscar-nominated script writer.
- Grant didn't want anyone else to touch the story after she had read the columns in the newspaper. She needed to communicate with the story, which was exciting for her. She thought of it as a romantic story, almost a love story - about a strong friendship.
- Grant spent a lot of time with Lopez and Ayers so she could get to know them well and make the script a lot more authentic.
- She urged away from 'fairy-tale' elements in the story as she wanted to reveal the truth about there relationship
- Joe Wright had never filmed in the US before, he went to visit Los Angeles before signing on to the film. He visited Skid Row alone, and this had an effect on him and changed the direction of the film. He also took a few days off to communicate with the Lamp Community
- Jamie Foxx had an emotional reaction to the script as he read it and was soon spending time with Nathaniel.
- Over several weeks Wright and Mcgarvey storyboarded the whole film. They also spent a lot of time with music to go with the film which was vital the movie.

The Making of the Solist.

Who produced 'The Soloist'?

Gary Foster, who has produced many other films such as a new film called 'When In Rome' and Russ Krasnoff, who has not been that popular in the producing department except for this film , 'the soloist'

What did Steve Lopez question about the film from the start?

How could you make movie, when you do not have an ending, was what was said by Steve Lopez about the film at the beginning.
When did the producers meet Nathanial?

The producers were took by surprise when they first met him because they were having lunch with Steve Lopez and discussing the film in 2005, when suddenly Steve asked if they wanted to see him after lunch, which they agreed too.
Where were the real life locations of the film?

Various places in America were used for the filming, for example the Disney Concert Hall, LAMP Centre, Skid Row and Anderson Street.
 What was Susannah Grant's aim when screen writing?

She has an aim to show people that everyone was a person that that each person had a life story. She explained how every person has a family; sister, brother, mother, father and so on which would make the viewer think about what if it was someone in their family that was homeless or mental ill, etc.
Why was Joe Wright apprehensive about making the film?

Because Joe had only directed films in the UK he was nervous about going to a new country that he knew nothing about, so he thought it would be a very big challenge to do this. He felt because the actors were good American actors they would help him with his time in the US, although he did say that the more he found out about America the more he got confused about it!
What does Robert Downey Jr say about the role of Nathanial?

He said that there was a high-degree of difficulty, for example playing some one crazy could have gone so bad, which could result in the ending of an actors career. Also the fact that the actor would have to learn to play the cello which would also add onto the amount of difficulty to the character. People would also get the impression that because the actor. Jamie Foxx might have been known more for his different genres of form, it could turn the public away because they couldnt' 'see' him acting a 'mad' person.
 Why did Joe Wright want authentic locations and authentic people in his film?

Joe wanted to involve the homeless people in the film and help them to learn skills, work and money. He wanted them to feel proud at what they had done and give them a chance.
How long did the set designers have on location to build the set?

They had 4weeks to build the set, yet before this there was a lot of prep in workshops to help get it done quicker. The set was made because they did not want to intrude on the homeless parts of the city as to them the streets were they 'home', therefore it would be rude to just start filming where they are happy.
 What process did the actors go through to ensure that the acting was authentic?

The actors all went to a 3week trust exercise and also involved theatre games. Jamie Foxx also had to learn to play the cello which took a lot of effort and hard work, so make the film more realistic.
What comments are made about the ending by Susannah Grant and Russ Krasnoff?

She wanted to keep the ending real and authentic as this was the truth in the honest real life story. She didn't want there to be a fairytale ending and predictable.

Joe Wright didn't want people to assume, he wanted them to make up their own mind, although this is a risk towards the audience as they could be unsatisfied with this.

Production

Production

Let The Right One In

Throughout the film the music is always dim or dark yet with a twist of romance. The instruments, such as piano or solo guitar are used often. This emphasises the characters of both Oskar and Eli, for example whenever Eli appears the music becomes creepy and not in tune which creates a mysterious vibe to the atmosphere in the film. Although when they are both together; communicating, the music becomes light and in harmony. The music has been put together effectively to create tension throughout the film whenever there is a killing coming up.

There are many devices used throughout the film to create the contrast between the two children and the different sides of each individual. For example the dark evenings, when Eli seems to always appear, and the light snow which I think shows as Oskar, being the innocent, at first. Although this does change as the film continues and we find out that there are two different sides to Oskar, as well as Eli. When the two meet for the first time Eli is shown to be a blameless strange little girl, and, yet Oskar is shown to be violence as he practices knife tricks on a nearby tree. This is quite peculiar as Eli is meant to be the aggressive one, and Oskar the quiet vulnerable one. 

We first find out Eli’s malicious side when she attacks a local man, by sitting down under a dark bridge and crying out for help, the man, Jocke, offers to pick her up, yet as he does she brutally kills him by biting and drinking his blood. She does this in the evening, which emphasises her dark side; although after this scene she starts to cry, as if she hates herself for what she has done. This is evidence that she might not like what she does to the viewer; showing her innocence. Every time that Eli has killed someone, such as Hakan, she is always seeking something to make her feel better. She seeks Oskar for comfort after her unfortunate killing, which could indicate that she feels guilty and upset.

Eli also has her child-like self whenever she is with Oskar, which seems to ease her when she is with him. To me Eli does not want to be this monster, she just wants be a normal kid like Oskar. To support this, an example is when she tries a sweet; she must know that they do not interest her, yet she says she will try on anyway. This shows that Eli wants to act as normal as possible, although this does not work and she ends up being sick in front of Oskar as a result.

In the scene when Oskar cuts himself, Eli shows her love and feeling for him when she licks up his blood she calls for him to run, for his protection and safety. This provides us with information that Eli does care about people and is not just killing people for the thrill of it. This makes me feel a bit sorry for her, as she does not want to do but has to which must be really hard for her to live with.

Oskar also has violence personality, which is shown at the beginning, although this is only pretend, it still shows us what is going through his mind. This could also be the result of Oskar not having any friends. Yet throughout the film he becomes a lot more aggressive, for example when he hits Connie (the bully) and also towards the end when he attacks a man. Before he meets Eli these incidents are something he would have never done, yet she tells him he must fight back; which could show that Eli is also to blame as he encouraged him to do the things.  This violence side to Oskar could have been why he and Eli get on so well as if helps them both to become friends. He does not seem to be threatened by Eli being a vampire or a killer which must mean he trusts her a lot due to their similarities.

Like Eli, Oskar has a child-like personality also. His, obviously, is normal child behaviour. Even though he has just seriously hurt the boy, Connie, he goes of to see his father, which he seems to enjoy. The scene shows a bright sunny day with white show; this contrasts with the town scenes with Eli, everyone is dark and dull. Eli does not follow Oskar, and so the scenes are light and joyful, which emphasises that Eli is not around.

The camera work is very fluent and there a mid-shot is used for most of the scenes when Eli and Oskar are together, although the camera does show from each ones perspective at times, such as when they are talking. To show the facial expressions on the characters there is many close ups so we can tell what they are felling or even thinking for example when there is a close up of Eli after she has killed the camera zooms to her face when she is sobbing which can show the viewer that she is upset, showing the detail. A good plan camera shot is towards the end of the film where we see the kitchen in Eli’s house but also the doorway when the man enters her house, here we can see both sides, which gives us a good view of the area.

The typical binary opposites from Levi-Strauss are found in the film, for example good verses poor and girl verses boy. These are shown obviously through Eli and Oskar, but also with Connie and Oskar who relate to good verses evil, or innocent verses guilty (bullying). Another example is Eli, the vampire (evil) and the humans (good) who are fighting against each other.

Vladimir Propp’s character roles are also quite clear in this film; we have Eli as the princess, yet also the villain and we then have Oskar the hero who eventually helps Eli to feel normal again, yet also contributes to one of her killings. We also have Connie and the bullying group who are also the villains and then finally the dispatcher who I think is Hakan, as he is the one that continues Eli to live. Eli is also helpers in this film, for example Eli is the one who tells Oskar to fight back and stick up for him, she also kills of the villains (Connie) in the end, instead of Oskar dying or being injured.

The Soloist (2009)

This film was formed from a true story, where a LA Times writer; Steve Lopez (played by Robert Downey Jr.) who is searching for a story to put in the newspaper. He finds a homeless person, played by Jamie Foxx, who is wearing peculiar clothes and playing a violin, which only has 2 strings. The man introduces himself as Nathanial Ayers, who does not seem all there, although something tells Steve that the man was once a very intelligent man...

The main actors of the film, the Soloist consisted by Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr. and Catherine Keener. These actors are very famous for various other film such as Miama Vice and Sherlock Holmes sequel. These films all did well in the cinema, which gives this film a confident cast and good chance to be popular with the public. 
The director; Joe Wright, who has only been directing since 1997, has directed many movies that have done very well in film, for example Atonement and Pride and Prejudice. This give the film a better chance of being popular with the public.
The film had an exceeded high budget of $60,000,000 which meant that the producer could afford to have very famous actors involved in the film and also would be able to use appropriate locations and equipment.
Although the film had well known actors and directors the film did not do as well as what the producer had hoped for. This, i think, was because it was not advertised enough to the population.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0821642/ - IMDB website with information about the film

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0821642/usercomments?start=20 - Public reviews on the film

http://www.cinemaverdict.com/2009/04/27/review-the-soloist/ - Review

Star school!

View more presentations from Sarah Daniels.

Star School Pitch!

When Emily first arrives at the school she is a mild manoured shy teenager, but after revealing her performing talent she is shot straight into the limelight.
Will she rise to the challenge and reach her potential or will the 'teen queen', Paris Maglar, over-ride her dreams?
This fun packed, all singing, all dancing film is sure to have you moving to the beat!

Facial Expressions.

Marjorie Ferguson, 1980 

Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.

 Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera. Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.

Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown. Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.

Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.

Trevor Millum, 1975

 

Seductive: similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile.

 

Carefree: nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning.

 

Practical: concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.

Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.

 Catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed.

Calvin Klein Notes

- Tanned body

- Eyes are closed

- long legs, on tip toes as well as wearing hells

- hair it wet and messy - sex look

- lips are parted/sexy

- body is sweaty or oily indicating sex look

- her stance, legs are open which show power/strength, hands are on hips, in control but venerable at the same time

- the male fantasy

- gritting teeth, sex

- in pain, looking away, doesn't care

- disappointed?

 

- Tattoos

- muscular body

- stern facial expression, pouting lips

- necklace/pendant , gay?, makes him less naked

- toned abs, shiny/greasy body, gym?

- masculine hair cut, skin head, rough/crop

- defined cheek bones, thin, high

- stubble, masculine/manly, attractive to women

- tan line, shaved, feminises him, makes him look like a boy rather than a man

- pulling boxers down, seductive, too posed

- fist is clenched, aggressive?

- bicep, muscular

- tan, un-manly. girly

- red background - lust/hot/danger/blood

- bar, prop - gym, pull up bar?

- manicure hand, not as tightly clenched

- gaze, trying to seduce

'Paul' notes

Notes on the Blogs

-  same kind of humour as the film

- trying to get the public more involved in the film

- to show how well and funny actors get along

- incentive to watch the film

- Simon Pegg and Nick Frost fans would enjoy watching the blogs

- the blogs would be put on the DVD as extras or bonus features which is an incentive to buy the film

- audience participation - cast answers the audience questions on the blogs

- the blogs will promote the film as they will be extras on the film when it is released to buy

- we find out about the cast and the crew

- documents production

- teaser to the audience

- find out what the film is about, although they are conscious of giving to much away

Video

Rushmore

Is Max a normal teenager?

After watching the montage of Max and his hobbies at the start of the film Rushmore, I believed Max was a good, smart boy who would never do anything wrong.

At the start of montage we see a journal of some kind where there are stickers of bees covering the front page. This could represent Max as being a 'busy bee' because of all the clubs he is shown to have been involved with. Also the other saying - 'the bees knees' could show that Max was very proud of himself and sees himself as being the best at everything. This is not typical as a teenager as most stereotypical teenagers would be shown as lazy and not to be involved in many activities like Max. Although it could just simply show his interest in the bees keeping club.

In each of the shots of Max he is always wearing his school uniform or part of it. The uniform is a traditional Ivy League uniform although he wears a red berry in most of the shots as well.  This, to me is not very typical of a teenager - a teenager would be wearing different clothes for the activities.

He is head or founder of every club which is not very normal and seems to want to fit in, when actually he is standing out to the rest of the people. The first scene is of him as a member of the Yankee Review. In this shot Max is shown in the middle of the other students; standing out. We are also shown that he is the publisher of the review which shows us he likes to be involved and be an important role to the activities. Yet most stereotypical teenagers would not agree to be the in such a high role for clubs. Another example of Max being the center of attention and authority is when the shot is shown him President of the french club. He is dressed with a red berry and sash of him, which tells us he is every enthusiastic; which is not what a normal teenager would not be wanting to get very much involved unlike Max.

Another usual hobby of a typical young person would have would be coin and stamp collecting. This is associated with more older people rather than youths; as it is quite a relaxing and single hobby. This tells us that maybe Max likes to do this for his own enjoyment as there are no other members of this group.

His social life is connected to his clubs and hobbies and through the montage he is only seen with one other boy, who looks a lot younger than him. Teenagers normally socialize with the same age group as them, yet Max is with younger boys and girls. Also in the Kung Fu shot the other smaller children have higher ranking belts, yet Max is on a yellow belt, showing that he is probably not very good at the sport or lower than him.

Through examples from the collage of shots in the beginning of the film Max comes across as a busy OCD boy, shown in the clip of the Lacrosse Team; the 'jocks' are watching intensely at the game, like any other young teenage boy would be doing, yet Max is organising the equipment. From this he seems to wanting to be older; more like a parent or teacher than a young boy.

Essay

Compare how Hot Fuzz and This Is England appeal to a British Audience

As the films are both directed by British directors this helps to improve the interest of the films to the target audience. Hot Fuzz is directed by Edgar Wright and This is England by Shane Meadows, who both used their on experiences to created their films. Also, as the directors are British both film companies are. Warp Films, which is a independent working title company helped This is England, whereas the famous Universal film company helped with the Hot Fuzz film.

Experiences from the directors helped massively to make the films personal and also to help the British audience understand better. Wright added a lot of his dreams and child into the film through the extreme events that happen. Wright 'imagains himself as the target audience' which shows us that he is only thinking if his own opinions and making his film personal to him, although this works well in the film; as he is British and therefore the British public comprehend with him.
On the other hand there is a contrast between the hopes and dreams of a young boy and the reality of another. Meadows experiences are very personal and based on part of his childhood in the 80's. This is highlighted in various interviews with Meadows.

There is also a difference between the budgets of the films, as Hit Fuzz had a massive 8 million pounds budget to bring the infant dreams into real life through effects and special features, yet on the other hand This Is England has only a budget of 1 million. Although this is a lot less than Hot Fuzz it improves the authentic appearance of the film.
The casting is also very important to both films. In This is England as the finical plan was very low Meadows could not afford famous actors that most British individuals would know. Yet this made the film realistic because the actors were unknown at the time. This is why the film was popular as it seemed that the actors were just normal people being filmed. Yet with Hot Fuzz there is a large amount of well known actors that are known to be good at acting together, for example Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They have both been in a film together before - Sean Of the Dead; which was a huge success with with British Public. As it was such a good outcome the Wright would know that it would interest the population as well.

The humour within the films are both a big impact to each film. The actors in Hot Fuzz create the humorouss side of the storyline. Wright uses exaggeration with special effects to create the film similar to action packed films such as Bad Boys II. The humour from this is mostly for the people that have watched these types of films although there are other various areas for people that have watched programmes such as Midsomer Murderers. The 'typical' country speaking people in the film is humorous because they are took to the extreme. Therefore the viewer will know about the different accents of the British people.
Although This is England is found funny to the viewers because of the amount of swearing from a young boy and also the 'mickey taking' comments towards the characters are humorous to the watcher, because they would have known about these things when they were younger. Yet both the films have alot of swearing in them which people find amusing as it is took to an extreme. Hot Fuzz takes parts of the film to far, although This is England does not as it is funny through reality.

Stereotypes within the films a lso improve the films assuming part. The typical 'skin heads' in the 80's are found funny; even though people did dress like this. The thought to people of looking back at what parts of Britain dressed like - for example shaven heads, Doc Martin boots, Ben Sherman shirts and braces, makes people understand now that they did look funny compared to the present tense. With This is England the stereotypes of the police are took very supreme. The police in the film are shown as not caring or lazy to do anything. For example when a group of youths are brought into the station in the countryside the officer asked if he really wanted to process all the crimes - showing that they are not that bothered. This then links to the real police and the image the general public have over them making it humorous for the watcher.

Both films are located in England - which improves the target audience as the watchers will know where each film is set; from influence of the accents. Hot Fuzz is set in two different places, first, shortly, in London and then in the countryside in Gloucester. Although most of the inside scenes in Hot Fuzz would have been filmed on the set; which would have cost a lot to film. Whereas This is England could not afford to have sets so it was cheaper to film if they used the right locations already. It was also difficult for the director to film outside as the location and landscape had to be correct for the 80's. There should be no satellites or anything that would show the film was filmed after the 80's as the film would loose its authenticness. The film is set in Nottingham shire which is a lot different to the settings of Hot Fuzz as this was back streets towns while Hot Fuzz was clear countryside set in the present tense.

The films do have there similarities and differences, although i think the films conclude on This is England explaining a message of the directors childhood and of people that also had the same experiences. Yet Hot Fuzz was only made, really, for entertainment reasons for those of us who enjoyed the previous films of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and also the people that enjoy taking things to the extreme that create the film humorous.

Prelim Magazine Evaluation

 For my prelim task I designed a front cover of a school magazine and contents page. I used photoshop to create the final idea which i found difficult at first but managed to work well with the programe. The magazine I desighed had to have a mast heading, mid-shot photograph and text.

Below are my intial ideas which i planned before going onto photoshop to create them. The magazine i thought up had a target audience of 14-18. I decided to keep my magazine simple, yet noticable and use blue, black and white as my colour sheme as i think they worked well with each other.

My contents page was also simple so that people cause understand clearly where the information was that they wanted, yet i also added images from the school to brighten the page up.

I decided i would us a picture of a student holding a revsion text book, to go with my heading - 'Are You Prepared'.

Differences Between The Two Films

	This is England	Hot Fuzz
Cast	The actors were un-know at the time when the film was made. This was because it was cheaper and also to un sure the film looked authentic to viewer as they would not know the actors, and would just think there were normal people.	Well know actors, for example Simon Pegg, Bill Knightly, Jim Broadbent and Nick Frost. This is to draw the public in because there as so many well known actors which work well together.
Location	It is set in England in 1983. It is set up north of England, yet there seems to be various locations such as the school, beach, council estate and the abandoned housing.	Set in modern England, London; full of crime, and then to Glouster in the countryside; typical quiet country town – which is a huge contrast.
Stereotypical	The accents are very stereotypical of the north as well as the typical ‘skin heads’. They are wearing jeans and doc martins which was what the ‘skin heads’ wore in the time.	The police officers in London are typical to the british public views. Also the country accent in the village is very well known. The village has only a local pub, a few shops and a church compared to This Is England’s rough town.
Director	Shane Meadows directed this film. He is not a well known film director  compared to the other film, and has only had about 2 film releases so far.	Edgar Wright is a well know film director who has directed many humours films that have been very popular with the British Public.
Humour	In this film the swearing and bad attitude of the young boy creates humour as you would not expect this from a young boy. Also the bullying and mickey taking is quite humorous to watch.  The jokes that are put into the film are realistic, yet there is a lot of contrast between the funny side of his life and the dramatic sad part f his life – such as his father dying.	The stereotypes within the film are very humorous for the viewer as they are exaggerated.  Also the mocking it quite amusing as well.
Camera work and editing	At the start of the film there is a montage of events collected from the 80’s to set the scene. For example the TV programmes. The montage synchronises with the music and sounds. As some of the clips have be made to look aged they have also been made to have a more natural feel as some of the cameras are hand held to create this.  It looks a lot like a documentary rather than a beginning of a film. Throughout the film there are close ups of the face so the viewer can see the full facial expressions.	There are sharp movements at the start of the film which seem to indicate the quickness. Yet also, like This Is England there are a lot of close ups to show peoples reactions and facial expressions, which add to the humour. The contrast even happens in the camera work between the fast movements in London to slow paced filming in the countryside.
Iconography/signification	The montage displays images and clips that represent England, such as the Union Jack flags, soldiers going to war, Princess Diana’s wedding, the riots, and graffiti. This indicates there are positive and negative sides to the reality of England.	Before the viewers know it is set in London there is Big Ben, the red buses, underground and siren noses which shows instant to the viewing it is in London, England. Also the greenness of the country with the church, local pub and B+B which create the feel that it has gone back in time.

Warp Films Research

Warp Films company was set up in 1999 with funding from NESTA. It is a small film company that is based in Sheffield, England, but also has offices in London. There has not been many released films with Warp, yet two famous examples are both Shane Meadows This is England and Dead Man's Shoes.

In April 2008, the Australian film company, Madman Entertainment proclaimed a partnership with Warp Films, and they planned to release two films in the next three years.

Shane Meadows

Shane Meadows Director of This Is England

29th December 1972

Meadows had a rough time at school when he was younger - after his father was accused of murder, and left school before finishing hes GCSEs. Although when he was 20 in moved to Nottingham and made a few short films with his friends. He became interested in filming and so he enrolled in a performing arts school in Burton college.

Most of Meadows films have been set around the midlands area - where he was from, and always tries to have a reality aspect to his films. As the films are set where he was brought up, most of his films have things he has experienced in making the films semi-autobiographical.

Meadows shortest film -  'The Stairwell' is just 40seconds long and is recorded on a mobile phone!

Magazine Front Cover and Contents Prelim

Hot Fuzz Storyboard -

How Does Hot Fuzz Target a British Audience?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/37885971/How-Does-Hot-Fuzz-Target-a-British-Audience

American Beauty: Analysis of the opening scene...

American Beauty, director Sam Mendes 


Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey -
My first impressions of Lester was that he is a well spoken American, who lives a general family life. Throughout the beginning of the film it seems to me that there are less positive things about Lester. For example he is submissive as he is always put down by his wife and daughter. It seems, also he has a grudge against his wife, shown in the quote 'she wasn't always like this' which suggests that over the time they've been together they are slowly changing, which Lester does not like. Although he does not get on with his wife he does love his daughter and care for her - 'I wish i could tell her that's all going to pass, but i don't want to lie to her' which tells us that he feels for her and wants to be there for her. At the start of the scene Lester portraits his life as a disappointment because of the way he speaks plainly and simply; 'in some ways i already am dead'. This shows us that Lester is unhappy with his life and feels like his life has just stopped.
How Is Lester Trapped?
At the beginning scene Lester is shown in the shadows when he is in bed - like he is in a prison, and when the camera goes on to film him in the shower the camera is behind the shower to indicate that he is trapped.  When Lester is film looking out to his wife, it create an image to us that Lester is trapped in the house. The family hierarchy in this family is the mother, daughter then Lester, the father. Although normally it would be the father first then the mother and then the daughter. Lester is shown to be like the child in the family as he always being shouted at,and also he is put in the back of the car when he is going to work.
Colour is used in an interesting way, why?
Throughout the start of the film the same colours are used and noticed in each scene, such as the dull bland neutral colours to create a boring atmosphere, which could represent Lester as a boring person. The red roses are used in some scenes to create a contrast between the dull colours and the bright red which could indicate that they are important to the film. The three colours that are used used in the film as blue, red and white ; the American flag colours.
How does the music add to the film?
The music is repetitive and uncomfortable which relates the Lester's personality and the things that are happening in the scene.
What do we learn about the family?
We learn that the mother is very dominating and controlling over the family. Also that Lester and his daughter do not get on very well although Lester does try too. The family, due to the mother, seem to have an every day routine which is evidence that she is controlling. The pictures and photographs in the scene are of the family in the past which show that the family was happy before. Also the positions that the family are standing in the photos, Lester is standing like the father - the dominating one of the family.
Mise en scene and camera work.
- the dad has a poor posture; slumped
- the red roses in the centre of the table
- dull colours, neutral
- camera shots are really long, establishing the scene
- slowly zooming in on the family, like spying on them
- the daughter is in the middle of the table, which could show that the reason the Lester and his wife are still together
- the daughter is also shown in the light, and the mother and father are shown in the shadows
- when the daughter and father are being watched there is a creepy music making a creepy atmosphere
Music
diegetic sound - part of the film
non diegetic - added over the top
The repetitive music while eating - Bali Hai from South Pacific is quite an old song, which could show that the mother is old fashioned, and stuck in the past. The music in the kitchen when Lester and his daughter are talking is slow and sad which could resemble their relationship.

LilyLilyLily :)

Academic


Art - B
Maths - C
English - 2Bs
French - D
Textiles - B
Science - 2Bs
History - B


For my A-levels i have took Biology, Chemistry, Art and Media.

Media Interests



Films - I enjoy adventure, action, romantic and comedy films. I also enjoy the classic Disney films as i think a lot of effort has been put in by people to create the films. Finally i love watching old films such as Officer and a Gentlemen.
Favorites - harry potter, robin hood, James bond (casino royal), hairspray, toy story, beauty and the beast,
Shakespeare in love, stardust, city slickers, yanks, officer and a gentlemen, top gun, role models, Sean of the dead, hot fuss, Cinderella story, twilight/new moon, series of unfortunate events.



TV - I like to watch comedy TV, such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock of the Week and The Inbertweeners. I do not watch much TV but i do like to watch murder mystery series and also the occasional Home and Away or Neighbours.  I mostly watch music on the TV as it was interests me the most or the repeats of FRIENDS that never get old.



Music - Overall i listen to a variety of music, such as rock, dance and indie.
Favorites - The Killers, Bryan Adams, Enrique Ilgesias, Mcfly, One Night Only, You Me At Six, Biffy Clyro, All Time Low, Black Eyed Peas, Blink-182, Deadmau5, Jason Derulo, Jason Mraz.



Magazines - surfgirl magazines, for the amazing photography.



Radio - radio one as the music varies in different genres, which suits my music interest.

The Man

My first impressions of this man -

Badly dressed

Scruffy

Homeless

Poor

Not very smart

Proud of his image; by they way he is standing

Tramp